Shocking details and video has emerged of near misses at level crossings showing people dicing with death by ignoring the barriers.

The statistics from the Cambridge area show daredevil drivers and cyclists have breached or smashed level crossing barriers more than 100 times in a year.

A near miss for this cyclist at a Cambridgeshire level crossing

In one incident captured on CCTV at Waterbeach, Cambs, show a cyclist is seen ignoring the redlights and attempting to race across the tracks narrowly missing a train.

The woman had to pull back at the last moment to avoid certain death and can be seen wiping her brow in relief after the train passes inches from her.

British Transport Police (BTP) released the shock details following a freedom of information request.

A total of 203 breaches were recorded by the force from November, 2014 to November 2015.

And from November last year to this month a total of 149 breaches were flagged up.

The Foxton level crossing had the most breaches. In 2014 there were a staggering 86 and 56 the following 12-month period making it the worst in Cambridgehire.

Ely was in second place with 15 increasing to 22 in the last year.

BTP Inspector Michelle Wedderburn said: “We’re stepping up our activity to ensure we speak to as many people as possible about using crossings safely.

“People have just got into the habit of taking risks at the crossing and are jumping red lights, and this has to stop. There is no excuse for jumping the lights at a level crossing and the consequences of doing so could be fatal.

“We are more interested in educating people and saving lives but we will also prosecute anyone who is caught jumping level crossing lights in the hope that this will make them think twice in future.”

Some of the examples of risk-taking at the crossings include a the signaller starting to lower the barriers when two lorries went through the red lights.

In Cambridge a bus driver was approaching the crossing and the lights were flashing but the driver “just drove through”.

Another example involved a lorry smashing the barrier causing sparks to fly when it broke it.

At Waterbeach, Cambs. a bus jumped the red lights and a barrier caught the back of the vehicle as it came down.

Also at Waterbeach a woman ran across the crossing at the front of a train narrowly avoiding death.